Hitch



May 11, 1948.

A. L. SOVA HITCH Filed Jan. 18, 1945 Patented May 11, i948 UNITED STATES PATENT; omce HITCH Alfred L. Sova, Flint, Mich.

Application January 18, 1945, Serial l\To. 573,417

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to a hitch and more particularly to a hitch for a flexible draft member such as a wire, hemp or fiber rope, or chain.

It is the object of this invention to produce a hitch for a flexible draft member which is strong, simple in structure, very efficient in operation and which can be operated with great facility and ease.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a plan view showing my hitch with a rope secured thereto as a draft member.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a section along the line 33 of Fig. 1.

My hitch comprises a body I having a ring or eye 2 by means of which the hitch can be connected to any suitable source of power depending upon the use to which the hitch is put. The body I is provided with an opening 3 and an L-shaped post 4 having one portion 5 extending substantially perpendicular to the face of body I and the other portion 6 extending substantiially parallel to the face of body I. Body I is also provided with a stop I and a hold-down finger 8 which is preferably are shaped. The hole 9 in eyelet 2, post 4 and finger 8 are preferably in longitudinal alignment and stop I is positioned between post 4 and finger 8 but preferably positioned offset or to one side of post 4 and the center of finger 8, that is, to one side of the direct line of pull on the post 4. The hitch can be made from any material having the required strength for the work in which the hitch is used. The hitch can be cast from any suitable metal such as steel or brass, or can be a steel forging. Eyelet 2, post 4, finger 8 and stop I can be fabricated integral with the body I or any one of these members can be made separate from the body I and secured thereto in any suitable manner such as, for example, by welding.

The operation of my hitch is as follows: The flexible draft member I0 is herein shown as a fiber rope. The rope is looped around post 4 and the free end I I of the rope is positioined behind stop 1, that is, on the side of stop 1 adjacent post 4, and the draft or pulling end I2 of the rope is positioined under finger 8. It is important in looping the rope about post 8 to have the free end II positioned under the draft end I2, that is, the free end II will be positioned between the draft portion I2 of the rope and the body I of the hitch, as clearly shown in the drawings. Thus, the draft on end I2 of rope I0 in the direction of the arrow causes portion I2 of the rope to coact with the body I of the hitch and tightly clamp therebetween the free end II of the rope. Further, stop I cooperates with post 4 in that it holds the free end II of the rope in position to maintain a loop I3 of the rope about post 4 so that post 4 in effect snubs the rope. The inner face: I4 of finger 8 which contacts rope I0 isposi-- tioned adjacent the upper face I5 of body I upon. draft which the free end II of the rope rests so that the pull or draft on rope III will have a component force substantially perpendicular to face: I5 which causes portion I2 of the rope to bind or clamp free end II against the face I5 of body I.. Thus, the stronger the pull on end I2 the tighter the rope is secured to the hitch. The rope can: be very readily released from the hitch by slack-- ing up on end I2 so that the loop I3 can be slipped. off post 4.

Obviously there are many uses for this type of. hitch. Where the hitch is used as a draft member, eyelet 2 can be used for securing the hitch. to thetractor or other source of power. If de-- sired, however, eyelet 2 can be omitted and the: connection of the hitch with the draft member: or source of power can be effected by making the upper end of the hitch, Fig. 1, identical or symmetrical with the lower half of the hitch, that is, the upper end of the body I can be provided with a post 4, stop I and finger 8 so that the upper half of the hitch is a substantial duplicate of the lower half and in such case the hitch will be connected to the tractor or source of power by a rope or chain. The hitch can also be secured to a fixed support and used as a hitch for the mooring ropes of a boat.

I laim:

A hitch comprising a body having an upper face with attaching means thereon for connection with another member, an L-shaped post having a portion projecting from said upper face and a portion extending therefrom substantially parallel to, adjacent the plane of said upper face in alignment with the axis of said body, and toward said attaching means, an arcuate finger adjacent one end of said body extending transversely of the axis of said body and having an inner surface adjacent the plane of said upper face, and a stop projecting upwardly from said upper face between said post and said finger, said stop being oifset to one side of the axis of said body and said upper face being substantially flat between said post and stop whereby, while said hitch is connected by its attaching means to said other member, a flexible draft member may be looped around said post with the slack end positioned behind said stop and with the draft end extending axially of said body transversely over the slack A fi 2,441,886 I 5 end an under sa 6. arcuate finger, a. pull on the draft end of said flexible member tending to flat- UNIIED STATES PATEN IS ten out the portion of said flexible member ex- Number Name Date tending transversely over the slack end and there- 641333 Reeves 9, 1900 by binding the slack end tightly against said 5 756,418 Seyster 5, 1904 flat portion of said upper face. 796,213 Jones 1905 ALFRED L. SOVA.

REFERENCES CITED The ronowmgiereremes are Of'recofdmithe 1o file of this patent: 

